Free Body By Night by Zuri Day Page B

no move to get her keys or move away from the door so she could get them. Instead, he incensed her further by leaning casually against his door frame and casting his famous megawatt smile.
    “I’m not going to let you quit on me.”
    “Give me my keys, Night.”
    “Give me ten minutes.”
    “Look, I’m not playing; give me my damn keys or I’ll call the police.”
    “And I’ll tell them I don’t know who you are or what you’re talking about; not until you give me ten.”
    “Ooh, I can’t believe this,” D’Andra yelled. Now she was mad for real. “What business is it of yours if I work out or not?”
    “You made it my business when you agreed to let me be your personal trainer. I’ve started this job and I’m going to finish it. Good health should be a habit, not a hobby!”
    “Look, Mister Know-It-All, you’re not the only one who’s trying to be healthy. I’ve decided to get in shape and I’m going to do it. I don’t need you preaching to me, and I don’t need you to reach my goals. I know you wish you’d been able to save your aunt but she’s dead and gone; helping me won’t bring her back!”
    Anybody watching would have sworn that time stood still in this moment. The pain that slowly made its way across Night’s face was palpable enough to touch. He slowly backed away from the door, turned his back and waited for her to get her keys and leave.
    D’Andra wished the floor could have swallowed her up. She regretted the words before they were fully out of her mouth. But it was too late to change them and too late to take them back. She rushed up behind him.
    “Night, I’m so sorry; I didn’t mean that. Night?” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
    He reacted as if her flesh was fire. “Get your shit and get out.”
    “Night, please, I’m really, really sorry. That was way out of line and I…I don’t know what possessed me to say something so mean.”
    Before she knew it months of pain, encased in tears, began spilling out all over Night’s hardwood floor.
    “I’m not trying to excuse what I said, Night, but I am truly sorry. I should be the last person in the world to say something to hurt somebody else. Words have been used against me all my life.”
    Night was as still as a statue. D’Andra figured that as long as he wasn’t talking he wasn’t kicking her out. She went on in a voice barely above a whisper.
    “I’m more like your aunt than I want to admit. A couple weeks ago, I, well, I ended up in the emergency room at MLK Medical. I’ve had Type II diabetes for almost two years now and some family drama’s been going down that caused my blood pressure to shoot sky high. It was borderline high anyway…guess it didn’t take much to send my numbers into the stratosphere.”
    Night’s only movement was to cross his arms, his back still toward her. He didn’t say a word.
    D’Andra slowly walked over and retrieved her keys, then over to the front door. But she couldn’t leave, not without trying once more to make him understand her pain.
    “That’s not the half of it though, the reason for my anger. My ex-boyfriend was a real asshole, Night—”
    “I’m not your ex-boyfriend. I thought we were becoming friends .” He finally turned to face her.
    “We are, at least I hope we still are after the horrible way I’ve acted. But I took all kinds of crazy shit from him and now I’m taking it from my family and I guess your snapping at me…it just caught me wrong, that’s all. I know you don’t understand. I can imagine things have always gone well for you. You probably have no idea what it’s like to—”
    “To what?” Night asked, fixing D’Andra with a penetrating stare. “To get pissed off? To be mistreated? To not be liked? To get dogged? You think you’ve cornered the market on feeling bad, D’Andra? You think when you cut me I don’t bleed?”
    He fired these questions at her as he walked to within inches of her face.
    D’Andra was at the door